The tests, which will offer rides to 50 people to begin with, are due to take place in Kangawa, a coastal town south of Tokyo.

Then, if all goes according to plan, the hope is to have the taxis running commercially just in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Japan rarely allows itself to fall behind in the field or robotics - Robot Taxi accelerates it into the race to become the first company to complete a full commercial rollout of driverless cars. Google, Ford, BMW and Uber are all in the running.